Odd Days
by Ali al-Saachez
Summary: What would happens if two similar souls ever meet? One saw a possible route in their life while the other is still young and lacks the experience the former has.
1. Chapter 1

Author's note: This is just a little fun thing to do like my Indigo Beetle in Fiore. Imagine these two characters in this chapter actually meeting. It makes me wonder.

 **Chapter 1**

A beautiful girl in her teens strolls around the city not too far from the school she attends. A school designed for young female shinobi to be trained is named Gessen Academy. There are times when the academy is called Gessen Girls' Academy but the former is much more commonly said.

The girl has fair skin, light blue-eyes, and grey hair that reach her neck with white puffed bow behind her head. Her choice of outfit is her school's grey uniform that does nothing to hide her figure.

Her name is Yumi, leader of Gessen Academy's elite shinobi.

"It looks like you're thinking too hard about something."

Yumi turned around to see a young man behind her.

The man held a friendly stature to him with noticeable red hair with a slight tinge of premature white. If Yumi had to guess his age it would be way in the early twenties. Other than his red hair, the man seems to be average in appearance though Yumi thought she saw a silver glint in his eyes. The girl finds it odd that a young man would already be showing signs of white hair.

He was sitting on a bench eating from a bento box. Yumi eyes wandered at the content and her mouth watered a little before she regained her composure.

"I believe it would rude and intrusive to inquire a stranger's thought." Yumi retorted.

"Relax; I'm not here to harm you anything. I was just simply stating what I thought when I saw you with a rather serious expression. You seem to be thinking real hard while in a relaxing setting." The man stated before taking another bite from his food.

"I apologize; I thought you were being too intrusive." Yumi said respectfully.

Redhead waved away her apology. "It's fine, I wasn't going to ask you what your problem about anyway. I was just stating that you're thinking about something quite serious."

Yumi was grateful that the man wasn't pushing the subject though she was intrigued since she schooled her expression to give no sign of her thoughts.

"You seemed able to guess my mood despite my expression being calm." Yumi pointed out.

"It's a little skill that I picked up from a precious friend of mine. She is a little demanding as a personal teacher but she means well." He replied.

"Oh? That's an unusual skill to pick up."

"Unusual? She was always unusual. At my old high school, she had this hidden temper that no knew about accept for a very small number of people including me. Hehehe, I was pretty much on the receiving end of it most of the times." The man continued eating his food.

"That's interesting." Yumi admitted. "Though I'd like to know other people's opinion of a question I've been having."

"Ask away. I'm a good listener." A simple go was given.

"What do you think about good and evil? I've been hearing from... associates that one cannot exist without the other. The reason I'm asking of this is because I seeks to create a world without evil." Yumi said seriously as the man studied her whether she was serious or not.

She was dead serious he concluded.

"A world without evil, hmm?" The man said thoughtfully. "That takes me back when I was little. Why, I promised my father something quite similar on his deathbed. I promised him that I would become a hero of justice in his stead and fulfill his dream myself to save others as he himself grew too old to do it anymore."

This catches Yumi's attention. Is he perhaps someone that could understand her? Becoming a hero of justice is somewhat similar to creating a world without evil she supposes. She finds it odd that that this man inherited this dream from a close family member like she had. She hopes this wasn't a lie to attract her attention.

Pragmatism is a part of her duty as a shinobi.

"Ever since his passing, I would train myself to be able to help others. Usually I would help others for nothing in return. Let me tell you a little story about someone I considered an older brother despite him being an asshole to me for the most part." Shirou said with a grimace at the mention of **him**.

Yumi thought that was odd for someone to talk about family like that. She reasoned that there must be some respect between them.

"He is practically my mortal enemy in a sense, especially the few times he tried to murder me." He added.

Maybe not. How can you still consider someone that tried to murder you family?

"His tale started strikingly similar to mine. It was a shock to me how similar we were. His life was saved by my father in the same manner mine was. However, the difference was that he started much earlier than I did. Years go by after making the same kind of promise that I did as he did the same thing our father did, kill those who harm innocent and help out as much as he can even though it wasn't always necessary. At first, it seems my brother was making a difference. Then there were harder situations where he had to sacrifice the few innocent to save the majority. He chose to sacrifice the few to save the many without any hesitation. He was saving more people this way, how could he not?" The young man chickled bitterly.

Yumi's eyes widened in shock, she never thought about sacrificing innocents to save others. The young ninja never thought too much about these kinds of circumstances. She was aware definitely, but she never thought too much about it still.

"How can he condone such decisions?" She questioned him.

"To be honest, I don't think he even knew what he was doing until he realized it was too late." The man said sadly.

"Kill one innocent to save ten, next kill ten to save a hundred, then kill a hundred to save a thousand. This cycle continued until it finally broke him and made him regretted his path. Years go by until his actions finally got to him when he was betrayed by those he saved. Left a broken man through his ideals, he eventually came to my town and we met each other for the first time. It was a surreal experience meeting someone who was related to my father that I didn't know about. You know what happened after we met?" The guy left the question hang before continuing.

"As soon as he learned that I was trying to become a hero like my father, he tried to kill me a few times discreetly while making each encounter seems like an accident. I had a feeling that he was actually trying to kill me. My luck came through for me though not in the best of ways. I wasn't sure until he told me why he was trying to kill. He thought killing me before I do the same thing as him was a mercy. In our final confrontation we butted heads about what it means to be a hero until we finally came to an understanding. He still acted a bit like an asshole to me after that, but he left the town to forever to find a reason for his own existence again."

"As for me, he taught me that I can never save everyone no matter how much I wished I could. Well, my dad already told it's impossible to save everyone but it's my older brother who really ingrained that into me. I still uphold my promise to my father, but only if it's a possibility rather aiming to achieve the outright impossible that has zero percent chance of happening." He finished his tale as he took a sip from the water bottle.

Yumi was silent. Is achieving a world without evil impossible? No! She refuses to believe this.

"I'll say this about good and evil. Evil will always exist in some form no matter how hard good tries to stamp it out. I think the root of evil rest in the human heart. It is humans themselves that choose to walk whichever path they chose. Some chose to be "evil" because they wants to or believe they have no other choice. It all really comes down to circumstances that set things in places and misunderstanding have a part in these situations from times to times I suppose." The man stated.

Humans are sentient creatures that are capable of the ultimate good and the ultimate evil. History has shown itself with deeds that are malicious in nature or sometimes kindness though recorded history usually likes to focus on the former. These stains are hard to ignore as many would remember evil more than good because dark deeds leave a much more lasting impression.

"Your dream of creating a world without evil is stupid." He said bluntly.

Feeling offended, Yumi was about to retort when the man raised his hand to signal he wasn't finished speaking.

"But it's nothing to laugh at either. A good man whom I met later in my life knew what it was like to chase after a ridiculous dream. He said the same thing that I just said to you. I'm passing his word unto you to let you know that you're not alone in this world. So… keep chasing after your dream, but don't be disheartened if you didn't literally destroy all evil. What mattered is that you did your very best." Shirou finished speaking his response to Yumi's question as he began finishing the rest of his food.

"I sincerely hope whatever path you chose you won't regret it in the end. I would hate it if you ended like how broken my brother was." The redhead said earnestly.

"What is your name?" Yumi finally decided to ask.

"Shirou Emiya."

"Thank you for your honest response. I've never would expect this from a stranger really. Well it's pleasant meeting you, if you don't mind me asking. Is there a way I can contact you? I would like to have these kinds of discussions with someone new." Yumi requested.

"I don't mind really. If you'd like to talk more, this is where I work. I run my own little restaurant as cooking is my favorite hobby of mine. Plus, it's a first for me to meet someone who has a similar dream to mine." Shirou stated as he placed a paper with the restaurant's location in her hand.

He cleaned up his box and placed both it and the water bottle in a small bag. He left the bench to wherever he's going.

Yumi smiled once she felt assured of herself. Perhaps her dream isn't wrong at all. But just to be sure, she'll confront a certain ninja to finds her final answer.


	2. Chapter 2

Author's note: I planned this story to be sort of a side thing like my Indigo Beetle in Fiore story.

 **Chapter 2**

A small restaurant is filled with customers sitting at tables enjoying their food. The restaurant can hold no more than 30 people at most. The atmosphere is absolutely pleasant as all diners are savoring every taste of their meal as well as having friendly chats with their companions.

This restaurant is run by Shirou Emiya as its head chef. He has hired only a couple of people of which included a pair of teenage waiters working for extra money as well as young chefs that wanted to get experience at working in restaurants.

It wasn't a grand or expensive restaurant, but rather a place to simply eat at and enjoy food. The food is reasonably priced and well-liked by most customers. The name of this establishment is Emiya's Avalon, a fitting name if one understood the name and history of its owner. Most customers that knew of the Arthurian legend were puzzled by the choice of name for the restaurant considering the establishment has no theme pertaining as such.

Today was any day just like others. Shirou opened his restaurant, customers come in and order their food, he and the chefs prepare the food, and customers eat and leave happily. The cycle would repeat until closing time. How it ended was quite different.

"See ya later boss!" The last of his employee yelled as the owner tidied up the restaurant.

Shirou nodded as he finished inspection of the dining area as it is cleaned up. He went to the door to change the sign to signify closed for the evening.

"Excuse me?" A voice asked behind him.

Shirou turned to look at the person before him. It was a young woman in a gray school uniform. Now where had he seen that before?

"I'm sorry; the restaurant is closed for the evening." Shirou said automatically.

"I'm not here for that, but do you remember our first encounter?" The girl asked him.

"Remember?" Shirou searched his mind before recognizing the girl's uniform. "Yes, I remember now. You're that girl that I talked to six months ago, right?"

"That is correct Emiya-san. I did remember that I forgot to introduce myself at the time. My name is Yumi and you may call me by name as such." The girl distinctly left out her last name unlike where most people would introduce themselves with their full name.

The only kind of relationship she would seek with is a simple friendship, a moment of respite from her hidden life. It's best to keep some distance from him while on friendly terms.

"I'll extend the same courtesy to you. Just call me Shirou." The redhead smiled.

Yumi noticed that his hair seemed turned even more white just only slightly since their previous encounter.

"Please don't take offense from this, but I noticed that you have a distinct tinge of white hair. I thought you are still too young before your hair comes to that point." Yumi pointed out.

"Aah, this little thing?" Shirou pointed a finger to his hair. "This is a little something that just a byproduct of a trauma. It's nothing to be concerned about."

"Sorry, if that seemed rude."

"No worry, a lot of people asked me about before. It's nothing new. Would you like to come in and have a talk?" Shirou asked politely.

Yumi nodded. "Yes, please."

Shirou opened the door for her and let her in. He followed her after making sure the sign said closed.

He pulled a chair for her and for himself as well.

"How are you doing these days?" He started the conversation with a common quote.

"I have been doing fine. It's just the…"

"Same old, same old?" Shirou finished for her.

"Right, life becomes a schedule when I'm still in school just keeping up with my study." A lie covered in truth, the best kind that can deceive. Yumi told Shirou in a way the truth without actually revealing it.

Oh the reaction the older man would have if he had known what her study entails.

"That's good; you still have your life ahead of you as for me, this business is enough to keep me busy for now. By the way, would you like some tea?"

"I would like some, yes."

Shirou began heating up water for the tea as well as gathering the tea leaves that he cut into smaller bits.

"I wondered, what lead you to asking that question from our first encounter?" Shirou wondered.

"I supposed you could say that I found someone whom I thought tarnished my ideals by associating with evil. I denied the idea of working with evil." Yumi stated.

"Oh, and how did your meeting go?" Shirou had an idea of how it went. He knew there was likely a big argument. He could hope that it went peacefully, but not everything is sunshine and flowers.

After all, he'd only know this too well from experience. There are a few people close to him in his life that he came into conflict in their first meetings or later.

"To my shame, I resorted to violence." She stated guiltily.

"It didn't get worse did it?" Shirou asked worriedly.

"Fortunately, it didn't. There was a girl named Asuka. She never held it against me and was quick to befriend me after we resolved our differences."

"Sounds like a nice person." Shirou noted simply.

It's always better to put out the fire before it grows anymore. The man preferred peaceful solutions before resorting violent means. Some people can't just get it through their thick skulls until they get bashed in and are forced to listen.

"She is." Yumi affirmed.

Shirou listened to her further description of her new friend. He nodded in approval from what he could gather. The girl seems to be generally kind and prefer not to resort to violence. This is the kind of people he would prefer to associate with. As he did this, he was also placing tea leaves into two cups and pouring hot water into them.

"Your tea is ready." Shirou handed her a cup. He then sips from his own.

"Arigato." Yumi thanked him.

"Why don't we talk about small things of ourselves to get to know each other better?" Yumi suggested.

Shirou nodded. He was willing to do something to kill the time. "Sure, why don't I start? In high school, I used to participate in archery club."

"Used to?"

"I left the club to focus a little bit more on my part-time job and hobby." The man admitted.

"I can see why one would be interested in getting a job at an early age though what is particular about your hobby?" Yumi asked him.

"I like to cook as I learned at an early age since my father couldn't really cook other than heating frozen food. So, it was up to me to make healthy meals. As you can see," Shirou gestured to the restaurant with his arms wide out, "I've got quite a knack at it."

"It's a good skill to have." Shirou nodded happily at her statement.

"How good are you at archery?"

"Eh, pretty good as I shot a bulls-eye most times. As I told you, I quit the club later to pursue personal interests at home." Shirou stated

"I would like to see if your claim of your skill is true anot just you being boastful." Yumi gave a challenging smirk.

"Perhaps, another time I can show you?" Shirou offered.

"Hmm, maybe." Yumi took a sip from her cup. "I have a question about this restaurant that piques my curiosity."

"Alright, shoot."

"The name of this restaurant is Emiya's Avalon, correct?" Yumi questioned him.

"That is correct." Shirou confirmed.

"Avalon is a legendary item from the Arthurian legend of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round. I don't know the in depth details of the legend, but I do know some of the barest details such as Excalibur and Avalon. I cannot find any reason for you to use such a name as it seems out of place." Yumi said her thought.

"I suppose the legend does not have connection to me, but rather it's connected to an important person in my life. This girl was one of the strongest people you'll ever meet. You wouldn't believe that such a small woman possessed enormous strength in that petite form of hers." Shirou chuckled as he remembered fondly.

"Oh, did she teach you not to underestimate women?" Yumi's question made him wince.

"Yeah, it didn't take me long to acknowledge the gap between us. She was such a fierce swordswoman that not many could match up to her in close combat. I personally took some lessons though I'm much better with a bow than I am at swordplay." Shirou said while rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

"Oh, you practices swordplay as well?"

"Yeah, I would say I range just above average though I'm far from being near the best. I know of a particular swordsman whose skill leaves me baffled as much as my friend did." Shirou's statement shows some humble attitude.

"This woman sounds certainly interesting. Still though, what connect her to Arthurian legend?" Yumi pointed.

"Well, I would say it's because she lived the way of a knight. She believed combat should always be done with honor and chivalry. In fact, that's how she lived for a large part of her life and I cannot truly describe to you how stoic she was at times. I thought the name would be one way to honor her memories." Shirou said nostalgically.

"I'm a little afraid to ask. You talked about her in past tense."

"Yes, I'm afraid she passed away quite some time ago." Shirou said sadly.

"Oh, I'm sorry for your loss." Yumi wasn't saying that just for formality. After all, it's almost as if she could relate to him on a personal level. Her grandfather was someone very dear to her who had trained her.

Hmm, how strange it is that both of her and Shirou's life shares many similarities.

"Don't worry; I'm sure she's happy wherever she is now." Shirou said gently with a smile. "I'm just glad to see her smile with content before she left for good."

"You must really love this person a lot." Yumi smiled as she looked at a nearby clock. "It's time that our conversation comes to an end. I have to return to my dorm since there's a curfew."

"I understand and it was a pleasure to see you again. Why don't you and some friends come and try out my restaurant at some point." Shirou suggested.

Yumi smiled slyly. "Oh, already using our budding friendship to advertise your restaurant?"

The man shrugged in response. "I still have to make a living you know."

"True and I would love to see how your culinary skills in the kitchen fare. Goodbye." She said simply as she walked out the front door.

Shirou picked up his cup and hers as he brought them back to the kitchen to wash. After tidying up the restaurant and locking it. He made his way on foot to a small house not too far from the restaurant.

He went to his room after making sure there was no intrusion while he was gone.

He reached into a compartment hidden in the floor under his futon. The compartment has its own little ward to protect its secrets. It isn't a perfect ward like a certain friend would make sure suffice, but it gets the job done.

Shirou looked over a file folder. He picked it up and began skimming over its content.

"It wouldn't be Zelretch if he gave a complete file about everything there is to know about these yōma. Always leaving me in the dark to see how I would fare. Still, I wondered what makes this world interesting enough for him to send me here. I suppose it's time that I do some pest control. At least, he put down a few areas where some could be found."


	3. Chapter 3

Author's note: I do plan to make future chapters with Shirou to see how he would interact with other characters. I have an idea of how I want for Shirou to react to Kagura.

 **Chapter 3**

Yōma

These creatures are the typical demons that would kill humans on instinct. These creatures of the night are easily stronger than the average humans so even the threat level of a particular one is still fairly high.

Shirou Emiya immediately vowed to exterminate every single one that he set his sight on. He knew too well of rabid beasts that should be put down before any innocents are harmed.

It is much easier to kill the enemy once you demonized it, this psychological effect increases immensely when the creature is already seen as a monster in terms of species. A sad vicious part of humanity, but it is necessary aspect of the human mind that enables them to fight back when the situation calls for it.

Oh well, it's fair if you're fighting in self-defense.

Modern weaponry and technology are capable of killing or harming the stronger ones to some degree. The problem lies with that they are very capable of hiding themselves from the world. Thus, civilians are completely unaware of the danger that could strike at any moment.

Armed forces could not be sent in to deal with these threats if they're not even aware of these monsters or don't even know where to look.

Thankfully, these creatures do not reside in cities for their usual activities would quickly rouse suspicion and they would soon be flushed out though not without some bloodshed.

This doesn't mean that these demons will never attack a city; Shirou would have to be wary of his surroundings in case danger calls.

With the vague description, given by a certain vampire, of their full capacity to be a danger, Shirou felt that this was basically hunting dead apostles again.

Hopefully, there may be no yōma that can create zombie-like creatures. Otherwise, things will likely get bloody very quick. Dead apostles are known for creating zombie-like creatures as familiars to suit their needs.

When Shirou learned of this, he was horrified then angered that there are creatures slaughtering humans to suit their needs or whims.

He would not hesitate to kill them if given the chance.

This is why he is out at night.

He has travelled fairly far to the woods outside the city boundary.

Right now, he is erecting a bounded field with the intention of luring yōma into a clearing.

A bounded field is meant to ward off unwanted visitors though stronger people can easily resist the compulsion to leave. However, the purpose of a bounded field becomes moot when the visitor becomes aware of its existence. This leads to said visitor realizing something of importance such as a fortified home or safe haven.

This bounded field has been modified to attract instead of repel. It was a good thing that he learned how to create a bounded field and knows the inner working of one. This means he simply altered the mechanism of the current bounded field he is deploying to bring in his prey.

This would be a problem if a human nearby was attracted to the bounded field so Shirou made sure it compelled beings with near animal intelligence only just to be safe.

A very powerful yōma could simply ignore the bounded field and leave, but what if it wanted to find out who is trying to lure it.

Shirou is betting on the curiosity of his targets to come out in the open.

And it looks like his gamble pays off as actual yōma came into his line of sight as he brought out the bow on his back.

The third-rate magus only created a bow and arrows for combat purpose in place of not having the one that his counterpart utilized. As he lacks the skill to project the bow at this time, he substituted for it by making a bow of his own strong enough to withstand the activities its intended for.

For now, he made a simple bow with a strengthened core to suffice for the time being. With enough uses in the field, he can craft himself a stronger one in the future after discerning what materials he would need to make a bow on the same level of EMIYA's if not surpassed.

Man he hated that smug smile on his face when he makes his sarcastic comments. His expression may have not expressed it that way, but Shirou always knew what he meant.

He pulled an arrow from the cloth casing on his back, placed its tip at the front, he pulled back and waited for his target to get into his line of sight.

From what he can now see of his enemies, the monsters varied in appearances. A few looked like skulls with sharp teeth for biting, cliché spider monsters, and even bird-like ones.

A gathering of yōma is now creeping toward his location, thinking him to be easy prey.

They will soon see how wrong that is.

With reinforcement applied, he released the arrow and watches it pierced a skull and into several spiders.

He quickly began moving back and firing more arrows. He took advantage of the tress to make it harder for them to retaliate with ranged attacks.

Shirou noticed the skulls to be able to fire small blasts of fire at him and made sure to stay out of their line of fire. He is glad that their attacks are from strong enough to be able to start a fire.

He began to snipe at the skulls and winged creatures as the yōma begins utilizing their instinct to fight him.

Shirou projected a nameless sword and stabbed it into a spider that leapt at him. He threw the projection away and traced a small barrage of swords at the nearby spiders.

The swords vanished as soon as their intended uses were completed.

He used his left hand to swing another nameless sword at another one of the creatures with the bow in his right arm.

The skulls began to line up around him and started firing while the birds swooped in after the blasts.

Shirou put away his bow and ducked from the attack.

"Trace on." He uttered the words as two swords take place in his hands.

Two short blades both possess a yin and yang theme. One sword is mostly whit with a black middle lining followed by the yin and yang symbol. The other blade has the colors in opposite places while the black edge has a hexagonal pattern covering it.

Kanshou and bakuya

When Shirou attained a specialized version of projection magecraft, he learned why his counterpart favored them so much. Easy to trace without a massive waste of energy, fairly strong weapons C-Ranked Noble Phantasms, and perfectly fit for one such as Shirou Emiya.

And lastly, their craftsmanship is beautiful. Not as grand as Excalibur, nor do they exude power like Ea.

They are just simply beautiful.

Noble Phantasms are the crystallized mysteries that symbolize the existence of a particular hero or legend character. They are typically weapons, items, or unique skills with amazing powers for specific situations they're meant for. These Noble Phantasms cannot simply be used just by anybody other than the one who owns them respectively.

Only the true owners may have access to the full power of these legendary artifacts.

However, that isn't the problem with these swords that Shirou Emiya has in his hands.

They may have been crafted as excellent work of art among the existence of swords, but they still lack a true wielder that would pave a great legend with these blades. As such, they have no direct tie to anyone. They were not made of the most impossible to find materials, which allowed the blades to be recorded into Shirou Emiya's existence.

With that being said, Shirou immediately put them to work.

The spiders took this as a sigh to charge recklessly and pounce at him.

Shirou watched the approaching creatures carefully and took out each spider one by one.

The man cut down each spider that attacked him.

Each movement of the sword has shown efficiency with no wasted energy.

Every single attack is basic and intended to count. They were simple but powerful strikes.

One cannot fight a powerful opponent without a strong foundation for one's fighting style.

The birds flew at him, only for some of their brethren to be slaughtered in the one-sided massacre. As the rest retreated immediately to a safe distance, they were struck down by projectiles.

They were multiple weaker, copies of Kanshou and Bakuya meant to be launched as projectiles in one quick barrage.

As the spiders died out, the skulls opted to charge in a suicidal manner in an attempt to at least fatally injure him.

They lowered their jaws down to bite on their prey.

Shirou put them out of their misery with another batch of nameless swords thrown at them.

The redhead took a moment to catch his breath as glanced over his bow and frowned. There were signs of the bow stretching past its limit.

'That's no good, I'll need to keep practicing making stronger bows so I don't have to worry about wasting energy trying to project Archer's. This one is no good if it already straining so much against the grunts.' Shirou thought.

He put the bow away and observed the carnage around him. He estimated about forty of the creatures appearing.

He had chosen this spot in hope of estimating the yōma's strength even if they're the lowest ones on the hierarchy. Information is power after all. A certain twin-tailed girl made sure to drill that into his head.

'If these are the fodders, then the ones at the top will surely be very difficult to deal with. These little guys still gave a bit of a workout and their large numbers don't help either.'

A slight sense of dread creeps up on him.

He jumped away from a club smashing into where he was standing, only to be hit by a second club.

The blow sent his body crashing into a tree.

Shirou stifled the sensation of pain as he stood back up. He glanced over his first injury in the fight and saw he was heavily bruised on the chest.

He discarded the broken bow on his back that was broken in his fall against the tree.

Shirou chided himself for letting his guard down and slightly reinforced his limbs.

He traced the twin swords again as he looked carefully at his ambushers.

They were a pair of horned female humanoids with monstrous hands and each wielding spiked club. One has blue skin and blonde hair while the other has red skin and blue hair.

They eagerly stood side by side ready to attack him again.

'I didn't see them charging with the group. Did they come late or are did they stood back and watch me?' Shirou questioned mentally.

The pair charged at him from both sides.

The red one swung high at him while her blue counterpart swung at his right side.

Shirou ducked and threw Kanshou at the red one.

The blue demon blocked the attack as Shirou ran around her red twin to get in position.

Before the red yōma could move to attack him, she was stabbed in the back by the returning black blade before it dissipated.

Surprise was evident on the yōma's face if Shirou could see it.

The red one fell down and gave a roar of agony.

Her blue twin started attacking him in a more aggressive manner.

Shirou noted that these two yōma seems to care for each other as something akin to siblings or perhaps something else.

The red one seems to be more aggressive than the blue yōma, indicating the latter to be the calmer attacker.

Shirou projected a replacement Kanshou and kept dodging the yōma's strike.

The red yōma stood up again, albeit quite slowly and marched towards him.

Knowing he had to end this quickly before this drags out, he moved himself between the two female humanoids.

Just as both struck at him, the man reinforced his arms further to direct the blue twin's club to collide with the other club.

Both yōma fumbled to get a grip on their weapons.

Shirou wasted no time taking advantage of their lapse in attacks.

He threw Kanshou at the red female and her head went flying off as a result.

The black sword dissipated shortly after.

He quickly leaped to the blue one and projected another blade and dug them into her chest.

He projected another pair of Kanshou and Bakuya and cut her arms off before she could get one last hit in.

Shirou watched as the blue stopped fighting as she bled out to death as evident of the creature's chest stopped heaving.

He called the blades stuck in her to disappear.

He looked around to see if there were any more challengers wanting to kill him.

"Wow! That was really awesome how you killed those yōma! You must be really strong mister!" The voice sounded that of a little girl's.

The hair on his back tensed up as he was reminded of Illyasviel von Einzbern.

The little girl that he found out was his adoptive sister had tried to kill him.

The way she talked about doing it was in a graceful and polite manner.

This one sounded like that of a typical child.

But both acted as if killing was nothing out of the ordinary.

"Indeed, Kagura-sama. What an odd shinobi barrier. I have never come across one such as this." A woman's voice rang out.

'Shit!' Shirou knew it was too good for everything in his life to go smoothly.

Are there more enemies than he expected?

He turned to face the newcomer standing behind him.

The moon shined upon them as if humoring him.

One was a little child with short black hair, wearing a white outfit. She was also barefooted for some reason.

He noticed her eyes which had strange pupils.

'Mystic eyes?' Shirou wondered.

Then he saw the other person was a young teenager wearing a black top with a small orange coat with a hood over it. Around her neck is a red scarf as her legs were adorned with long socks and sandals. The girl has light green hair and oddly enough… pink eyes.

The girl's expression was bland and devoid of emotion.

"Who are you?" Shirou demanded.

"Who we are is none of your business." The girl curtly replied.

Apparently, she is rude as guessing from the tone she used with him.

Well, this is going to be a long night for him.


	4. Chapter 4

Author's note: I will make it a while before Yumi and her friends learn about Shirou's true origins. I'm trying to stray away from the mc revealing their past very early that I did in my other fics. Also, I'm going to include the characters from the SK NW game into my spin of the Deep Crimson story. Whether their roles will be minor or major will be left to the future.

 **Chapter 4**

"Hahaha, the talking sponge is so funny! Why does he keep hurting the fishies with the boat?"

"I believe the yellow sponge is mentally dysfunctional Kagura-sama. He will never amount to nothing more than a fry cook for the rest of his insignificant life."

Shirou sighed as he watched the two watches some American cartoon in the morning.

It would seem the two understand English perfectly.

From his limited interaction with the two, he understood Naraku, the green-haired girl, to be fiercely loyal and protective of the small girl. It was kinda obvious when she kept holding the girl behind her.

He instinctively knew the girl could hold herself in combat from the way she composed herself.

The little girl named Kagura on the other hand, unnerved him slightly. Her desire to see to the slaughter yōma was a warning sign itself. It didn't help that what the girl talks about most of the time in privacy from normal people.

It was Illyasviel all over again.

Thanks goodness she wasn't directing any bloodlust at him. He would hate to relive that experience.

His first time fighting her Servant would never be labeled as fun. The same goes without saying for a little child planning your demise.

That didn't warrant wariness as it did before. No, there was something else about the girl that made him thought she was familiar to him somehow. Not familiar as in he knew her from before, but that he knew what she is or could be.

Why?

He knew there was nothing normal about her. This was further reinforced when she walked up to the corpses of twin yōma he killed and dug her hand into them. The sight of the girls just sticking her hand into corpses reminded her too much of maguses using humans for experiments.

What the girl was looking for appeared to be red orbs.

He was about to question her when she ate them.

There were many reasons why the girl would have eaten red orbs that came from inside monsters.

One theory is that she was eating them to sustain her life.

Another theory was to gain power.

And another likely theory is to change oneself through consuming these orbs.

His question was answered when the girl proclaimed she will regain her powers.

The sight of a girl with the aura of a butcherer is not too far from what he thought at the moment.

Fighting two unknowns without any information about the little girl's secret was not a favorable outcome. What if the girl possesses an ability that he could not counter?

What if the two girls in front him does not have to be his enemies?

With that in mind, he invited them to his household as a gesture of peace where as both party can ask questions.

Whatever Shirou did, Naraku knew something odd about the way he fought. He knew that she would likely question him for his combat ability.

Shirou wanted his own questions answered as well as she did her own. Both had different intentions in mind in regard to their questions.

They might have fought immediately the night before if Shirou hadn't tried to defuse the situation. After all, he didn't want to fight a person just because it happened.

He offered them refuge at his house for the time being once it has been brought to light that the two has been constantly travelling around Japan while remaining anonymous.

Shirou being helpful again, especially when it looks like there's a little girl on the run from danger.

Naraku reluctantly accepted his offer due to Kagura's insistence.

It also seemed that Kagura thought Shirou was odder than he should be.

Anyway, Shirou offered his own bed to the two while he took the couch downstairs.

Naraku accepted instantly while thanking him in formality.

Shirou sighed at the girl's cold behavior to anyone who isn't her charge.

Naraku looked at him as the show's episode came to an end.

'Guess it's time.' Shirou steeled himself for whatever question she has in mind. While he will give up some information about himself, he will receive information about things that may prove useful to know in this new world.

After all, he is still in the dark about the rest of this world in regard to things like the yōma.

"Are you ready to answer our questions?" Naraku demanded more than really asking him.

"Are you willing to answer mine as well?" Shirou replied.

"To the best of my ability, there are some secret that needs to be kept guarded after all."

"The same goes for me. It's only fair since we're still both strangers to each other." Shirou said coolly.

Naraku nodded at that as she didn't expect him to spill all his secrets anyway.

"What did you do back last night?" The girl inquired.

"Please specify. I performed various actions last night." The house owner requested.

"When you pulled those swords out of nowhere, I found no sign of the way ninja tools should appear as they should." Naraku specified.

Shirou's eyebrow rose at that. 'Ninja tools?'

"To answer your question, I merely recreated the swords from an image of them in my mind. It has always been a specialty of mine to recreate bladed weapons." Shirou answered. He kept quiet about magecraft in case the girl was not affiliated with the arcane arts.

The green-haired girl detected no sign of deceit on him and accepted his response. "Alright, I know that's not really all there to it, but it will suffice for now. What is your question?"

"What do you mean by ninja tools? Are you saying there are ninjas?" Shirou's voice held astonishment in it that couldn't be faked.

It was Naraku's turn to be surprised. "What are you asking such a silly question for? You mean to say you're not a ninja?"

Shirou shook his head in affirmation. "I'm not one at all. I just simply thought they were actual ninjas stopped existing when modernization began to take place in Japan. Assassins would have been the proper title for those who continue those traditions."

"Impossible, the way you fought suggested that you must have shinobi training." Naraku retorted.

"I received training alright, but not as a shinobi, honest. My father… was a former mercenary who fought well as assassin. Before his passing, he taught me only the bare basic of my sword ability when I was a child but I couldn't grasp it well until I was your age."

The green-haired girl thought that was interesting to note. Perhaps she should keep closer attention on him?

Telling her he was trained by an assassin could have been a way for her to lower her guard by making it looks he trusts her enough.

"You still fought yōma, correct?" Naraku pointed out.

"Yes, what about it other than I'm slaying creatures of the supernatural?"

"Only fully realized shinobi are given authorization to learn of their existence. The fact that you recognized their name suggests that you are a shinobi or were trained by one." Naraku stated. "Shinobi trained until they are at an acceptable level to be fully graduated shinobi. From there, they are informed about the yōma threat that lurks in the world. Mature shinobi are sent out to wipe out the demons whenever they appeared. In fact, yōma being the cause of deaths are more common than enemy ninjas. I have been trained as a shinobi to protect Master Kagura with my life."

Shirou took in an intake of air as he processed this information. Ninjas are trained in secret? Looks like it as it's not something you want to advertise to the public. Shinobi of age are informed of the yōma so that they may hunt them down before they inflict any damage to the world.

Likely the case, but enemy ninjas? That bit worried him. The fact that ninjas fought each other means there are factions or at least small groups or organizations. Such implications could mean that there could be an army out there. If he gets discovered by any faction, what will they make of him?

Does that means he has to go into hiding?

Shirou pondered the gravity of his situation as possible assassinations can no longer be ignored. He would to watch his back as he has no idea if these ninja seclude themselves from civilians or not.

Naraku continued to study him as he went silent for a moment to process her explanation. She searched for any sign of him lying or just stalling for whatever reason. She concluded that he was sincere in saying he was not a shinobi.

"So, you're being truthful about not being a shinobi at all?" She asked for confirmation.

Shirou nodded as he groaned about learning an unknown number of assassins walking around the world. "Yes, but excuse me… just learning about shinobi actually existing is leaving me a headache."

"I see, then could you answer my next question if you're able?"

Shirou waved her positive. "Go ahead."

"What are you really then?"

Shirou really wanted to avoid letting people knows of his secret status as a magus, even if he's not a really good one. If there are ninjas creeping around the shadow then keeping his status away from his new acquaintances will attract attention from those who suspect him.

Perhaps, a deal could be worked out with this girl?

"I am a magus." Shirou stated simply.

"A person who practices magic?" Naraku questioned curiously.

"Not quite, a magus practices magecraft not magic." Shirou reaffirmed.

"What's the difference? Most people would simply call it magic as few have used it before."

"Few, you say?" Shirou pressed.

"Not many learn magic as it becomes more of a forgotten relic as years go by."

"Alright, I supposed that is to be expected. Anyway, the difference between magecraft and magic is that the former is focused on recreating a known, possible miracle while the latter is nearly impossible to achieve. From what I learned, the way to obtain the True Magic has been lost since several centuries ago." Shirou explained.

"So what makes this True Magic special?" Naraku couldn't help but asked. She knew that magic was still in use, but not extensively as they have been in the past. Not many that are capable of learning actually wants to learn about it and thus, magic has becomes a dying art.

"True Magic is capable of mysteries on a level that even science could never hope to achieve. Having an aspect of the True Magic would allow controlling one of the most important fundamental forces of the universe."

"Like what for example?"

"I know that there is one aspect that allows the user control of time to the point that time travel is possible, but that may not be the true nature of said aspect as another aspect of the sorcery can allow the same thing via a different method." The third-rate magus replied. "Will that be satisfactory?"

Naraku had to admit that if this information is valid then magic could truly be fearsome power. Perfect manipulation of time would be a perfect tool for a manipulator or someone that wanted to prevent someone's death though having such power would usually leads to arrogance.

Perhaps it was better that this True Magic remains lost.

Absolute power corrupts after all. Who knows if it just reveals a person's true nature or that it distorts him?

Nature versus nurture has always been an important term in psychology.

"Yes, that will be fine. Magic isn't a very important subject to me so I have no desire to seek knowledge of it." The girl stated.

"Alright, I'd like to ask my question. Can you tell about shinobi? I'd like to know... do they operate just in Japan or around the world?"

This is important information that can help Shirou gauge the threat level of ninjas as a whole.

"Shinobi have operated in most parts of the world but most still operate in Japan these days. Japan is the birthplace of shinobi and it would not do for shinobi families and clans to lose everything they built up over the centuries just to move to nations where they will have lesser influence. That being said, shinobi aren't limited to Japan but most stays here. After all spreading the shinobi worldwide might alert the public or worse, the government, about our existence and you know how people would feel about super-powered assassins roaming around." Naraku finished her explanation as she glances to her charge still watching cartoons.

"I see…" Shirou leaned back on his chair and sighed. "I am very grateful for this piece of information Naraku. By the way, are there any particular organizations of ninjas?"

"I wouldn't say that there are organizations, at least not to my knowledge. There are two sides, evil and good shinobi. I don't know why shinobi are categorized into two sides like that, the difference between them are their ideology. There are rogue shinobi, but they act more like independent ninjas working outside the system without restraint."

"I don't understand. What are good shinobi and evil shinobi? Do the former protect people while the latter are morally evil?" Shirou voiced out his query.

"Hmmm... not quite, good shinobi follows the ideology of following the laws and holding order while evil shinobi breaks them and usually involve themselves in less than pleasant schemes. However, both sides follow a council at the top that govern their side respectively." Narak stated the fact.

"Are rogue shinobi potentially the most dangerous? They sounded like they acts with far less restraint than their evil counterparts and that alone worries me." Shirou made his concern known.

It baffled him that "evil" people followed a council which is strange since it sounds like that such people can cooperate for a long time. Cases where people with little moral restraints teaming up usually involve a backstabbing or two.

The rogue shinobi reminds him of magus with Sealing Designations as both are considered renegades in the hidden side of the world.

Still, it is too early to make a final judgment. Unless, he meets enough shinobi in their respective side and saw what kind of people they are personally, he will withhold his judgement for the time being.

"Rogue shinobi may vary and act for whatever reason they have. I am an example of an independent ninja for I do not answer either council. My only concern and objective is the protection of Kagura-sama. Others may be less then pleasant if you catch my drift." Naraku stated the last part ominously.

So that's how it is. With evil and good shinobi, their motives may be easier to discern.

With rogue shinobi on the other hand, who knows what they may do.

"Geez, this sounds ridiculous in the practical sense." Shirou complained.

"The world of ninjas operated like this for centuries, so I very much doubt that it will change."

'Sounds like the Magus Association and it has hardly gotten better even if one of their best instructors is a good man at his core.' Shirou thought.

"I wondered though if you're not a shinobi they why did you fight the yōma last night? What do you hope to gain out of this?" Naraku questioned him, her attention all on him.

"My intention? I fought them before they could be a threat to normal humans as they have no way of defending themselves like I do. That's the only reason I did what I did." Shirou answered her with a straight face.

"It's foolish fighting the yōma for such reason. No one asked you to do it, but you did it anyway." Naraku reprimanded him.

"Even so, it's been a dream that I inherited from my father to be a hero of justice that will save the people." Shirou said that without any sign of being offended on his expression.

"Your father who was a mercenary wanted to be a hero? That's laughable." Naraku said that sarcastically.

Shirou glared at her. "My father wanted to save people and that is not different from you wanting to protect that child."

"Even so, hero and mercenary don't mix." She retorted.

Shirou sighed as she was right partially. His father made a lot of enemies when he was younger and that did not help Shirou later when they learned that he is the son of their most hated enemy.

Regardless, Shirou still came out on top as he is still alive.

"I'll admit you have a good point there. Still, that doesn't I'll just sit on the sideline and not help those in need." Shirou did not budge at all from his point of view.

"However, you do know that hunting yōma will attract attention from shinobi of both sides?" The young girl pointed out.

"So I need permission from someone to fight yōma?"

"It's not exactly that, rather it's that both sides will want to know about an unknown wiping out yōma. This is all the more important considering how frequent shinobi died against the more powerful yōma. Either side may want to recruit you know?"

The shinobi did brought a good point. Can Shirou trust some ninja faction he knows nothing about when ninjas are supposed to use lies in their line of work?

Sound stupid if you're thinking about joining a ninja faction when that last part is included in their job description. Who knows if you will get backstabbed or what skeletons lay in their closets?

"Well, I'll think about that when I cross that bridge." The man said simply.

"Well, I think that's enough questions for now. I have to get ready for work and feel free to stay for the time being."Shirou said as he got up from his chair.

"Wait, you're offering to let us stay knowing what I am?" Naraku stated incredulously.

"Are you planning to murder me in my sleep and answer honestly, please?" Shirou asked her firmly.

Naraku sighed at this man. Who does he think he is a hero? Ha, those exist in fairy tales and stories.

Still, she can see this man is straight on helping them out. She looks to see Kagura still laughing at the cartoon television,

It might not be bad to have a place to hide at night, especially when the owner of said house is a capable fighter. However, that is also dangerous itself as she still does not know him yet.

"As long as you do not seek to harm Kagura, I have no quarrel with you. Therefore, you are not worth the effort to slay silently." Naraku answered.

"Alright then, you may stay at my house since you're not trying to murder me in my sleep." Shirou stated cheerfully as the girl looked at him with disbelief. "Anyway, don't cause trouble while I'm gone."

She still does not get him. Does this man have any ulterior motive at all?

A man who wants to save people actually intended to do that. Perhaps, he might be useful to her if she can confirm that he has no ill intention to her charge.

She glanced again at Kagura seemingly immersed in the television.

This might not be bad at all.


	5. Chapter 5

Author's note: I have come to a decision who will be the final boss of the Deep Crimson Arc I'm planning. I hope you enjoy the reveal when it comes. I'll start getting the arc moving after this.

 **Chapter 5**

A couple days passed by as Naraku and Kagura have settled into his home though they always have stayed out until late afternoon.

The redhead would easily find out what they've been up to as the small child isn't even remotely shy when it comes to talking about killing yōma.

Shirou gotten used to the child's description of how she mercilessly finished off the monsters that Naraku severely injured.

The magus knew he must have some pretty bad luck if he gets involved with things like this on a daily basis. Fortunately, it's not the worst it could be. Every time he gets into a situation that could get him killed, he always survives somehow.

There was the time in the Fuyuki Fire where he lost all recollection of his past life and barely made it due to his adoptive father.

There is also his first encounter with the Berserker Servant of Illyasviel von Einzbern.

Then there is his future self who attempted to kill him a few times before quitting the assassination attempts.

If one was to think about it, it would seem fate just like to screw with Shirou Emiya and make sure he's alive to screw with again and again until he's dead.

Considering his future counterpart gets resurrected to perform tasks for Alaya due to his eternal contract, it's possible that fate just loves to screw with Shirou Emiya.

If E-Rank Luck is true for Shirou Emiya, then he's glad that it means that it means he is still ten times still luckier than the average human when it comes to surviving a life-and-death situation.

Hopefully, there won't be a situation where his two guests are forced to kill him.

Still, it's nice to have some company in the house. Especially when he's alone in an entirely new dimension that has ninjas that formed a secret society of sort.

It kinda comes with being a man with secret that must be hidden from the public, and even more so from enemies. The downside of being a magus is that he had to keep the mundane away from him at a length without any of them realizing it.

There were very few who he could confide in back in his original world. With his current company, it reminds him a little bit of the times during the Heaven Feel fiasco. The only things missing are a tainted wishing device and a free-for-all battle royal.

It also seems the girls have taken a liking to his cooking as he would make dinner for the house of three.

With this, he can learn more about typical shinobi behavior, or if they are potential threat to the mundane.

What is their purpose for going after the monsters?

Shirou would keep them close as possible to observe them.

That would have to wait for now.

He noticed something peculiar today.

The restaurant seems to have a slightly more excited atmosphere.

He looked into the dining area to see a lot of the younger patrons whispering with a group of ten girls seeming to be the main subjects.

"What's with everybody? They seem to be jittery." Shirou asked one of his nearby waiters.

"Well, it's because A.R.C. Angels and Milky Pop are here." The young boy answered.

"Hm?" Shirou tilted his head, confusion evident as he never heard of them.

"Well, they're both popular idol groups that made their separate debuts a couple of months ago. From what I learned from gossips, they've gotten pretty popular lately. It seems a lot of people love their music. I listened to a song or two from A.R.C. Angels myself." The boy explained.

Well, isn't that interesting. Shirou mused as this made an interesting page in history for his restaurant.

However, the day is not over, and people are still waiting to be served their food. Shirou quickly went back to his work.

The day went on as usual for him.

One of the girls from Milky Pop seemed to really like his dessert that she ordered a cake for to go. It seems the girl was considered the leader of her group? It doesn't matter anyway; the girl is just another satisfied customer.

Hmm, people must love their sweets. Who is he to judge as he himself has a habit of making sure his chefs are up to standard.

That day brought another unusual visitor to him.

"Aaaw, did I miss them? People said they would be here today and I came as soon as possible. It sucked that Yumi would not let me go until training was over." A girl with blonde hair in a grey school uniform was pouting by the entrance.

She then took notice of him just out of the kitchen.

"Hey, are you Shirou Emiya?" She asked him, her reddish eyes peering at him.

"Yes, do you need something?" He responded, perplexed as her school's uniform is similar.

"Oh no, I was just wondering who this person that seems to have my friend's attention. She did describe your appearance as well, so I knew right away it has to be you." The girl stated.

"Is this person by chance Yumi?"

"You guessed correct Mr. Chef." The girl answered.

"Alright, and you are miss . . ."

"You can just call me Shiki!" The girl introduced herself with a wink.

"Alright, say . . . is there something you need or are you just sightseeing?" Shirou asked her.

"Oh, that? I run a blog and I was hoping to see if I can meet A.R.C Angels and Milky Pop."

"Ah, that . . . well they left quite some time ago, I'm afraid." Shirou said.

"Oh well, maybe I'll catch them another time." Shiki muttered.

"Well, its nice meeting a friend of Yumi, but I better get back to work now." Shirou stated as he returned to the kitchen.

The girl left as she had no more reason for being there.

The day at Emiya's Avalon turned normal as it ends with the restaurant being closed up with no further incident.

Shirou went home as usual.

AS soon as he got home and opened the door, he was barraged with a loud demand.

"Yay, Shirou is home. I want food!" The little girl can be seen sitting at the table.

Naraku is by her side, her expression stoic as usual.

"Alright, just give me a moment. I just got home you know?" Shirou said with a chuckle.

It feels nice, to have dinner with others at a homely setting.

Why does he continue to fight again? Whenever evil pops up and get defeated, something else just takes its place. It's a never ending cycle.

His future self realized this and eventually gave up. That perspective changed when he and him clashed for the final time, not through blades but through who they are.

He wondered what conclusion that man had came to on his own.

Sighing, Shirou quickly cleaned himself up and got to work in the kitchen. It was a nice little home to him; it's his sphere of relaxation.

He could never understand why he got into cooking like he did. All he knew was that he loved being the chef in his own kitchen. Perhaps, cooking itself can be a way of helping people without harming others in the process.

A half an hour passed as Shirou brought the dish to the table where his two guests sat.

He can see Kagura staring at the food with her mouthwatering. Shirou chuckled inwardly at the sight; she looked adorable just in that moment.

He can see Naraku looking at her charge with a faint smile on her expression. He wondered what does she think of the child.

Shirou knows his path may be filled with blood, but . . . moments of peace like this make his life worth living. If anything, he won't be charging toward his dream blindly like his other self-did.

"Let give our thanks before we eat." And so they did as the night took over the sky.


End file.
